The Renault Kadjar is a compact crossover SUV made by Renault between 2015 and 2022. The Kadjar was replaced by the Renault Austral which belongs to the same segment but only relies on EV and hybrid power. During its relatively short lifespan, the Kadjar managed to become one of the best-selling Renault models which come as no surprise since the world is so into crossover SUVs these days.
In this article, we are going to go over all the common problems with Renault Kadjar and tell you what you need to look out for if you are in the market for one. Overall, the Kadjar seems to be a decently reliable car as Renault did manage to improve its overall reliability in the post-2010 era.
The most common problems with Renault Kadjar include electrical problems such as a faulty key card or an issue with some of the car’s accessories. Other problems include various problems with airbags which resulted in a few recalls during the car’s lifespan.
The gearbox can feel sluggish and lazy to shift while the diesel filter is also known to cause issues. All in all, the Kadjar is an adequately reliable car, but many of its rivals do tend to offer better overall reliability results.
Faulty Key Card
There have been many reports about the Kadjar key card not wanting to unlock the car. As it seems, this problem is likely due to the battery inside the key card going out a bit too quickly. Some say that the card experiences issues while parked in busy areas where the signal can get interfered with which is not usually something to worry about with most cars.
Either way, if your key card can’t unlock or start the car up, you should replace the battery and try once more. If it does not budge, you should take the car to the dealership in order for a technician to look at it. Even though these problems can become annoying really quickly, they are not too difficult to sort out when you realize what is exactly causing the problem.
Faulty Accessories
The power windows on the Kadjar are known to fail which means that you will have to replace the power window actuators if you want your windows to go up and down. This is a relatively well-known fault of many Renaults in the past and it seems like the Kadjar is still sometimes suffering from these.
The wipers are also problematic, but often simply because they got stuck and will need to be budged a little bit. The indicators are also sometimes known to lose a bulb fairly prematurely which can leave you with non-working indicators which will need to be replaced immediately for your own safety.
Airbag Problems
It’s fairly common these days for new cars to suffer from airbag issues and the Kadjar is no different. However, the Kadjar was part of quite a few recalls simply due to airbag issues. The airbag control module can fail on 2015 models and prevent the airbag from deploying which can be really dangerous.
The airbag inflators for window airbags could also malfunction and lead to the window airbag not deploying. Lastly, the curtain airbags have also been subjected to a recall while thorax airbags were included as well. All in all, the Kadjar went through four different airbag-related recalls in the EU alone.
Gearbox Problems
It seems like the Kadjar does not suffer from any particularly serious transmission problems, but if you don’t maintain it in due time, the entire unit can fail. However, the automatic transmission is known to be sluggish, lazy, and inconsistent which does make the overall driving experience a bit too agricultural.
The clutch slave cylinder on the manual transmission version can fail and cause the car to not be able to shift gears consistently. Moreover, if this problem isn’t noticed early on, it can cause further damage to the transmission.
Diesel Particulate Filter Problems
Last, but not least, we also need to talk about DPF problems which are most common on the Renault 1.5 dCI engine. Sometimes the DPF can get clogged while the flow plugs on this engine are also sometimes known to experience problems.
All in all, if you catch these early on, you will solve them really easy as all you have to do is clean the associated components. If you don’t manage to stop these early enough, these will worsen over time.
FAQ Section
Is the Renault Kadjar a Good Used Car?
If you want a stylish, efficient, relatively spacious, and decently capable family hauler, the Renault Kadjar is a really good used car option. It has enough space for most family needs, it offers good visibility, it is adequately reliable, and it manages to not destroy your bank account with its low running costs.
If you are used to driving cars from the economy segment, the Kadjar is going to feel no different. On the other hand, if you are used to driving cars from the luxurious end of the market, the Kadjar is going to feel like a significant downgrade.
Why did Renault Discontinue the Kadjar?
There are no clear reasons as to why Renault decided to ditch the Kadjar, but there are a few things that certainly played a role. First of all, the Kadjar was on a serious downward spiral when it comes to popularity and it was also struggling to compete with some of its rivals even when it first came out.
If you combine that with the fact that Renault wants to move toward EVs and hybrids, it was rather clear that discontinuing the Kadjar in favor of the new Austral SUV could be a good idea.
Which Cars Rival the Renault Kadjar?
This part of the market is immensely competitive which means that the Kadjar competes with the likes of the Volkswagen Tiguan, the Skoda Karoq, the Peugeot 3008, the Ford Kuga, the Nissan Qashqai, and the Hyundai Kona.
All of these have something to offer which is why pretty much all of these are selling decently, except for the discontinued Kadjar.
